Milky Way - Wikipedia
The Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy are a binary system of giant spiral galaxies belonging to a group of 50 closely bound galaxies known as the Local Group, surrounded by a Local Void, itself being part of the Local Sheet [275] and in turn the Virgo Supercluster.
Milky Way Galaxy | Size, Definition, & Facts | Britannica
5 days ago · Milky Way Galaxy, large spiral system consisting of several hundred billion stars, one of which is the Sun. It takes its name from the Milky Way, the irregular luminous band of stars and gas clouds that stretches across the sky as seen from Earth.
The Milky Way Galaxy - NASA Science
Nov 8, 2017 · Using infrared images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, scientists have discovered that the Milky Way's elegant spiral structure is dominated by just two arms wrapping off the ends of a central bar of stars. Previously, our galaxy was thought to …
The Milky Way Galaxy - Imagine the Universe!
Sep 23, 2021 · Our Sun (a star) and all the planets around it are part of a galaxy known as the Milky Way Galaxy. A galaxy is a large group of stars, gas, and dust bound together by gravity. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The Milky Way is a large barred spiral galaxy.
The Milky Way Galaxy - Harvard & Smithsonian
Today, astronomers study the Milky Way to understand its history, structure, contents, and our place in the galaxy. Like most other large galaxies, the Milky Way harbors a supermassive black hole at its center. Known as Sagittarius A* — abbreviated as Sgr A* — this galaxy is about four million times the mass of the Sun.
Milky Way galaxy: Facts about our cosmic neighborhood | Space
Apr 18, 2023 · The Milky Way galaxy is our cosmic home. A barred spiral galaxy stretching 100,000 light-years across. Here we explore our galactic neighborhood in more detail.
NASA’s Webb Reveals New Features in Heart of Milky Way
Nov 20, 2023 · The NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s reveals a portion of the Milky Way’s dense core in a new light. An estimated 500,000 stars shine in this image of the Sagittarius C (Sgr C) …
The Milky Way Galaxy - Imagine the Universe!
Oct 14, 2021 · Our Galaxy is a spiral galaxy that formed approximately 14 billion years ago. Contained in the Milky Way are stars, clouds of dust and gas called nebulae, planets, and asteroids. Stars, dust, and gas fan out from the center of the Galaxy in long spiraling arms. The Milky Way is approximately 100,000 light-years in diameter.
Structure and composition of the Milky Way Galaxy | Britannica
Milky Way Galaxy, Large spiral galaxy (roughly 150,000 light-years in diameter) that contains Earth’s solar system. It includes the multitude of stars whose light is seen as the Milky Way, the irregular luminous band that encircles the sky, defining the plane of the galactic disk.
Milky Way Galaxy - Structure, Dynamics, Stars | Britannica
Oct 11, 2024 · Milky Way Galaxy - Structure, Dynamics, Stars: The first reliable measurement of the size of the Galaxy was made in 1917 by American astronomer Harlow Shapley. He arrived at his size determination by establishing the spatial distribution of globular clusters.